Negotiators for the LCBO and its workers — represented by Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) — are at the bargaining table. But in its most recent online update, the provincial booze retailer encouraged customers to shop early to avoid possible long lineups.

Some stores will even offer extended hours as the strike date looms.

OPSEU President Warren “Smokey” Thomas expressed concerns that management may be dragging out the talks to score a spike in sales — something he suspects has happened in previous rounds of collective bargaining.

“My folks are trying to avoid bargaining with themselves,” Thomas said Tuesday. “The employer wants to bargain all weekend so they will.”

There are just over 7,000 OPSEU workers in the government-owned liquor agency.

OPSEU is taking issue with the extensive use of part-time labour, health and safety, split shifts and the fate of staff in cases of store closures, Thomas said.

Most of the work available is part-time, and women make up the majority of the staff, he said.

“The person who could settle this would be (Premier Kathleen Wynne) — they run it — and all she’s got to do is phone over,” he said.

LCBO President and CEO George Soleas has said that the agency is trying to reach a deal that reflects the importance of its frontline staff while responding to evolving customer needs and the changing retail landscape.

Soleas has said it’s unfortunate that the union chose to threaten job action at one of the LCBO’s busiest times of the year.